Staying Healthy in Sin City

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend and I headed to Las Vegas, NV to celebrate the end of our work season in Palm Spings, CA. Memorial Day is our last big weekend in the Coachella Valley and then the snowbirds head home and it starts to get triple digits hot everyday. Palm Springs and the whole Valley slow down tremendously. My favorite DJ's were playing in Vegas and I decided to go and see them. I'm the Try-Athlete I live, breathe, eat and sleep fitness so I wasn't gonna let Vegas tempt me. How do you stay healthy in the city that is known for temptation? Well here's how I did it.
Diet/Eating Healthy: We drove from Palm Springs and it's about a 4 hour drive so it's always important on road trips to bring health snacks with you. We brought almonds, bananas, cliff bars and lots of water. If you forget or don't have time to get snacks gas stations always have nuts and a couple pieces of fruit. When in Vegas the restaurants offer every type of cuisine you would ever want American Bistro, Japanese, Mexican, Italian and everything else you can think of. Even though I was on vacation I made sensible choices when eating in Vegas. For breakfast I had eggs and oatmeal, yes the Belgian waffle looked good but I refrained from ordering it. We also were going to be in our bathing suits all day so I wasn't about to look bloated. For lunch we went to a burger place and I ordered a turkey burger and instead of getting fries I got ordered a side salad. For dinner we went to a buffet and you can even find healthy options at buffets. They had crab legs, roasted veggies, sweet potatoes, sushi and more. I have to admit I was tempted by the desert part of the buffet but not enough to give in.
Drinking/Stay Hydrated: Since most of the activites in Vegas are centered around drinking I understand having a couple of adult beverages. I usually order a vodka soda with a lime which is very low in calories and doesn't have any added sugar or sweeteners. Try to find a low-calorie drink that you enjoy if you are doing to drink. Also drinking a glass of water between drinks will keep you hydrated and also keep you from ordering too many cocktails.
Dance/Workout: Most of the hotels in Vegas have workout rooms and even if you fit in a 20-30 minute workout that will keep you feeling good. If you just don't have time to fit in a short workout, dance at the club/pool/bar. Almost everywhere in Vegas has a dance floor and people are always dancing. I danced at the nightclub, at the pool and in the pool. I was a dancing machine this past weekend and we were always dancing or walking so I felt very active. Just try to stay active whatever your doing in Vegas.
Next time you're on vacation in Las Vegas or anywhere try to keep in mind to stay healthy and you will feel better if you stay true to yourself on vacation. So until next time stay fit!

6 mile Bike Ride

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. This week was a little different for me because I kind of pulled a muscle in my lower abs. I couldn't do much core work because I was in pain so it kind of limited my workouts. I couldn't do Insanity or Asylum because you use your core a lot in those and I didn't want to hurt the muscle further.
I just purchased a bike last week, a one- speed beach cruiser. So why not take that out for a spin. Being the Try-Athlete I always want to challenge myself so I thought why not add ankle weights to my legs for my bike ride.
After I had strapped on each 2 lbs ankle weight on to each leg I opened my Charity Miles app and chose "bike" and then chose the charity I wanted to bike for Vision Spring a charity that helps people see. Charity Miles if your not familiar with it is an app that every time you go for a walk, run or bike ride donates money to a charity of your choice. I use it every time I run, walk or bike; not only am I bettering myself but I'm also helping others when I exercise.
I was now ready for my bike ride I set out on my usual route. I should mention the weather in Palm Springs, CA had been hitting triple digits daily but I didn't let that stop me, my ride started around 5pm so it had cooled off a bit I believe it was in the low 90s.
Biking with a one speed beach cruiser is a lot easier than a mountain bike so there I was listening to my music with my headphones on and pedaling with my ankle weights on. I tried to pedal as fast as possible and not coast at all. After biking for about a half hour I was on a very bump run-down street and that's when it started to get hard to pedal because I had so much friction and resistance from the road. It was a street paved in tar that was run-down so it had a lot of little bumps, my ankle weights started to feel heavier at this point.
So I started to head back to my house but then looked at my phone and saw that I had a little more than half a mile left and I would have biked 6 miles. Well I couldn't go back now I had to hit 6 miles so I continued on. My butt kind started bothering me and I had to keep readjusting and the next day that area was soar. I pedaled and pedaled and I finally hit 6 miles on my Charity Miles app. Yes I had done it, my legs were a little soar but overall I felt good, I wasn't dripping with sweat which I think is do to the fact that my bike is a one-speed and not a mountain bike. I would recommend this workout to some one who wanted a relaxing lower body workout, you don't really have to think a lot during this workout but your still working and you will feel it the next day. I'm pretty excited about my next ride, until next time stay fit!

Running at 8,500 feet

Welcome to Try-athlete the blog where I try the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. Today I went for a run but I did it the way an ultimate fighter would I ran at 8,500 feet at the top of a mountain. I remember watching something about Tito Ortiz where he was training for a fight and he went to high elevation to train.
In Palm Springs, Ca where I live one of the main tourist attractions is the Aerial tram. It takes you up the mountain 8,500 feet to a climate very different than the desert. Instead of 108 degree weather it's 60 and instead of sand and palm trees it's dirt and pine trees. A cool breeze runs through the forest and the views are majestic.
There are many hiking trails at the top of the mountain so since I'm try-athlete and I decided to try running some of these trails. I started with the Desert View (1.5 miles) trail, it had 5 notches where it gave breathtaking views of the whole desert hence the trail name "Desert View." I ran to each notch and took pictures of each vista point. At some points I couldn't run because of the rocky terrain. I finished that trail and was thirsty for more so I ran the Nature trail (.75 miles), I felt like one with nature on my run I had to stop at one point to take a picture because the view was so beautiful.
After I finished that trail I decided to try one more trail the Adventure trail I ran it for probably half a mile and then saw that it went straight up into the mountain and was more like rock climbing so I turned back but will save that one for another trip. I thought because of the elevation change it would be tougher to run and I would be out of breath but surprisingly I felt pretty much the same as when I run at my house. My knees started to bother me and that's when I knew it was time to stop, but I still wanted to do more so I found a secluded picnic bench and started doing crunches I did sets of 20 of every crunch I could think of, I did this for 8 minutes and then after about a 3 mile run and a core workout I was ready to leave and head back down the mountain.
Overall I would definitely go back up the tram and go for a run, one reason being its so hot here right now I can't run. I also really enjoyed the nature I was surrounded by I saw lizards and squirrels and all different kinds of trees and plant life. Overall I would recommend going for a run at an elevated level but I would also recommend preparing for it eating before and staying hydrated are very important. Until next time stay fit!

Candle Light Hot Power Yoga

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try all the latest fitness and diet trends so you don’t have to. This week I attended a yoga class at one of the local yoga studios called Power Yoga. I had been to this studio before but I had never tried a hot power yoga class or a class by candle light. In this hot power yoga class the room was 105 degrees so as soon as I went into the class I was sweating, not a lot but I could tell I was hot.

The candle light kind of brings a calming effect and a sense of serenity. We started by centering ourselves in mountain pose, standing straight up with your hands above you, fingers and hands touching. We leaned to the left and then to the right stretching our obliques, we then went into a sun salutation combo. Arms stretch out and you fold in half, flat back, then down into downward facing dog. We weren't moving that fast but a good 15-20 seconds in each pose and then the sweat started pouring. I didn’t even know I had that much water in me, beads of sweat started rolling off my forehead down my cheek. I also got a glance at my calves and shins and they were glistening because they were covered in sweat. I do the insanity workout and I sweat but this was another level of sweat, doing anything in 105 degrees will make you sweat.

Even though I was sweating I felt strong and powerful in this class connecting my mind with my body. The teacher’s voice was soothing and each time she had us transition into another move it was calming and energizing. We did warrior 1 and 2 and I felt the most confident in those poses and worked on my breath.

Next we did some core work to upbeat music, this class had a little bit of everything. I enjoyed the core series because I knew I was working hard during this segment it was a power series so it was fast pasted and I was dripping sweat and had to towel off many times during and after.

At the end of class we did corpse pose and I relaxed in this pose and dedicated my practice to a friend’s mom who is very sick and in the hospital. I sent positive energy her way and really concentrated on clearing my mind.

After class I felt invigorated and fresh, my clothes were wet from the sweat but I felt a real sense of accomplishment and was really happy I went to the class. I found out a few days later my friend’s mom had a complete turn around and was feeling much better. Overall I would recommend hot power yoga by candle light to someone that wants to connect their mind and body and get a great workout. I'm already planning on going next week, so until next time stay fit!

Cross-Spin

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. This week I tried cross-spin, as a spinning virgin I didn't know what I was getting myself into. Cross-spin is a spin class but with added elements, so you are not just spinning the whole time.
During the first song (you do a different activity each song) we pedaled and we lifted ourselves off our seat when the instructor would cue us "up, down, up, down" I was dripping sweat within the first song but it felt good.
Next song we grabbed a hand weight and we continued to pedal but instead of holding the handle bars of the bike we held the hand weight in one hand and did various reps targeting biceps, triceps, shoulders and back. We were now using our legs to pedal, our arms to lift the hand weight and our abs to hold us steady and not fall off the bike while we were doing all of this.
Next song we pedaled and got off the bike to do squats and lunges. We would pedal real hard and then get off and do squats and get back on pedal real hard again and then jump off and do lunges.
Each song in the class wasn't your typical 3 minute song, each song was 7-9 minutes but the song selection was very important because each song was uplifting and energizing so the songs kept you going even when you were tired and sweat was dripping down your face and body.
The song "New York" came on by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys and every time they sang "New York" we had to turn the resistance up on our bike. I'm not sure if you have listened to that song in awhile but they say "New York" like a thousand times. Ok maybe not that many but at the end of the song my legs were burning and it was a slower pedal due to all the resistance.
The most intense part of this workout was when the song "Firework" by Katy Perry came on and we were told to race during the chorus. To race you can stay seated or lift up your seat and them just pedal as fast as possible. I'm always choosing the hardest modification so I chose to lift my seat up and pedal like crazy without sitting back down till the chorus was over. I actually love that song so I let it energize me and I pedaled faster and faster.
At the end of this class it was about an hour long I felt energized, refreshed and ready for the day. It was a great way to start the day and I knew I would be sore but it was worth it. I thought a spin class only worked your lower body but in this cross-spin class I worked everything legs, arms, abs and glutes. Overall I would recommend this class to a friend that wanted a full body workout and wasn't afraid of the stationary bike and a lot of sweat. The teacher was really great of this class so I think that made it better too. I had tremendous energy after this class and felt great for the rest of the day. Don't be afraid to try new things you might end up liking them, until next week stay fit.